- Associated Press - Thursday, October 4, 2018

No. 13 Kentucky (5-0, 3-0 SEC) at Texas A&M (3-2, 1-1 SEC), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

Line: Texas A&M by 5.

Series record: Tied 1-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Wildcats seek their first 6-0 start since beginning 10-0 in 1950. They can also become bowl eligible with a win and keep pace with No. 2 Georgia in the SEC East. The Aggies seek consecutive conference victories after beating Arkansas 24-17 last week.

KEY MATCHUP

Aggies QB Kellen Mond vs. Kentucky’s pass rush. The sophomore has completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,221 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. He’ll face a Wildcats defense that sacked South Carolina’s Jake Bentley four times and intercepted three passes. Kentucky has registered nine of its 12 sacks in league play.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kentucky: LB Josh Allen. The senior leads the SEC with six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He had eight tackles (four for loss), three sacks, a forced fumble and quarterback hurry against South Carolina to earn conference Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Texas A&M: RB Trayveon Williams. The Aggies junior is second to Kentucky’s Benny Snell Jr. in SEC rushing with 582 yards on 96 carries and six TDs. He bounced back from 31-yard effort against top-ranked Alabama to gain 152 and score twice on 29 attempts against Arkansas.

FACTS & FIGURES

Texas A&M edged Kentucky 7-6 in the last series meeting in 1953. The Wildcats visit College Station for the first time since 1952. … Legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant guided both Kentucky (1946-53) and A&M (1954-57) before heading to Tuscaloosa. … Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s defensive coordinator at Florida State from 2010-12. … The Wildcats rank third in SEC total defense at 287.8 yards per game and are tied for sixth in sacks with 12. … The Aggies are third in SEC offense at 511.8 yards per game.

__

More college football: www.apnews.com/tag/collegefootball and www.Twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide